


New Beginnings

by KairouWatoshimi



Category: Inuyasha - Fandom, Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6276097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairouWatoshimi/pseuds/KairouWatoshimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the well sealed itself, Kagome couldn't bare living in a shrine house that easily brings back unwanted memories. Moving in with her cousin, Kagome finds herself thrust into a world where nothing makes sense anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Live

Moving back to Japan in time for Ryoma to start his first year at high school at Seishun Academy High was probably the best decision Nanjirou had ever made. As a matter of fact, it was such a good decision that Ryoma decided not to rip up Nanjirou’s soft porn magazines into Karupin’s litter box for a week.

Nanjirou noticed, of course, and managed to tease his son about it for three days straight before Ryoma got his revenge by burning said magazines during the Echizens’ going-away barbeque party. Rinko only smiled softly as the two Echizens argued, not once regretting the weeks it had taken her to beg her boss for a transfer back to Japan.

Nanjirou’s only regret was being reduced back to reading porn magazines rather than his preferred babe-watching on the California beach. And while Ryoma didn’t think he had ever seen his father so heart broken before, no one really gave it much though.

Life didn’t change all that much for Ryoma upon his return to Japan and entrance to Seigaku High as a first year; everyone was still the same and for that, he was glad. Glad because he couldn’t imagine if Kikumaru stopped calling him _Ochibi,_ if Inui stopped collecting data, if Horio stopped being... well, being Horio. He was glad that he had his old teammates back (his American team had been and would always be _mada mada)_ , minus Taka-senpai who, while still on the tennis team, dedicated most of his time on his family’s business and was not a fellow Regular.

Taka-senpai had been replaced by Sasabe-senpai who was, by the way, not at all related to the idiot Ryoma had twist-served to the face when he first came to Japan for middle school. Sasabe-senpai was lankier and had more soft curves than any self-respecting teenage boy should have but had perhaps one of the most powerful hits in the high school tennis world which makes everyone question where he hid all his muscle in what looked to be skin and bones.

_(Inui-senpai was especially curious as to why he had never even heard of Sasabe before this year; his data on his fellow third year was disappointingly lacking)._

Despite his power, Sasabe-senpai would never replace Taka-senpai; he would always be _mada mada_ to Ryoma because he doesn’t have split personalities nor does he yell out random English phrases when given a racket. When the names of the Regulars were first called out, Ryoma knew that it would be a long time before he got used to Sasabe-senpai.

He could handle _that_ particular change though.

However, a couple weeks into rediscovering his freshmen tennis prodigy position, Ryoma found out that everything he was used to was going to change and it was all because his cousin was coming to live with his family for a while. It wasn’t as if he had anything against her—Really! He didn’t—but her moving back meant seeing her _friends_ again. And he really, really, _really_ didn’t like her friends.

Especially that loud one.

 _Kind of like Kikumaru-senpai,_ he compared silently. Except Kikumaru-senpai was the happy sort of loud unlike his cousin’s friend who was more angry than anything else. He was ten the last time he saw them and he really wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with that again.

Presently, Ryoma found himself staring at the picnic table where his teammates were currently sitting around and silently debated with himself whether or not he should sneak away. After all, if he did so now, he might still be able to catch his old man before he drove off. With a firm resolve, he pretended he didn’t see an excited Kikumaru-senpai waving at him while simultaneously jumping up and down. He swallowed, his hand automatically flew up to the brim of his cap to pull it down. Ryoma spun around, ready to walk away from the overexcited aura surrounding his teammates only to be jerked back roughly.

_Damn, so close._

“Momo-senpai—”

he managed to choke out before Momoshiro’s hard arm muscles flexed and wound up around Ryoma’s neck, effectively stopping him from talking, or even breathing, actually.

“You can’t just pretend you didn’t see us,” Momoshiro said cheekily. “You can’t!”

Ryoma ceased his struggling once he felt another pair of arms wrapping themselves around him. It was impossible to struggle against both Kikumaru and Momoshiro-senpai, after all. He was also probably going to die anyway. The two older boys pushed Ryoma onto the bench and stood in front with large grins on their face.

Ryoma wrinkled his nose. “Che,” he said softly and pulled down his cap again. Apparently, he really wasn’t going to be escaping the get-together.

It took Inui exactly five seconds to figure out there was something wrong with Ryoma. “Echizen is exactly thirty-six point two-five percent quieter than usual,” he muttered but his words were still loud enough for those around him to hear. “There is a seventy-two percent chance that Echizen just woke up and a remaining twenty-eight percent that he is actually upset about something.”

Ryoma scowled; he wasn’t ready to deal with Inui-senpai and his data so early in the afternoon. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled, ignoring the glare Tezuka shot his way since what he really wanted to say was, “Go to hell, senpai.”

“Eh? Ochibi is sad?” Kikumaru asked, looking as if he was about to cry himself. “Why is ochibi sad? Tell senpai and senpai will make it all better, nya!” He fluttered around the younger boy, trying to catch his attention. Or, more specifically, trying to get some _positive_ attention from Echizen who was glaring at him but also refusing to speak.

“Tell us,” Kikumaru whined. He pulled Ryoma’s arm and shook it while attempting to look like a kicked puppy. “Tell us! _Tell_ us! Te—”

“Are you sick?” Oishi interrupted, worried. “Hurt?”

“Need some tennis?” Momoshiro asked. “That always helps.”

Ryoma frowned and couldn’t help but think that he sounded awfully a lot like his old man. And him, of course—because tennis is the answer to everything—but it wasn’t something he would ever admit out loud.

“Hungry?” Oishi continued. It was already noon and if Echizen _had_ just woken up—no surprise there—he probably wouldn’t have had the time to eat yet.

“Had a wet dream?” Fuji asked, deciding to throw his own two cents in.

Silence.

Everyone turned their head around to stare at Fuji in silent shock and-or horror, except for Tezuka, whose only reaction was a slight twitch of his left eyebrow and a gleam of his glasses. And Ryoma too, actually, who was already used to perverted comments at the most unusual of times (courtesy of his father, thank you).

“No,” Ryoma responded because he knew that perverted comments would only get worst from there. And because he didn’t want Oishi-senpai to have a heart attack from thinking the worst, he elaborated, “My cousin’s moving in.”

Another small hush fell around the group, “Isn’t that a good thing though?” Momoshiro finally asked. “I thought you liked living with Meino-san!” And, more importantly: “I mean, she cooks for you!” he practically screamed out. “What more do you need?”

“Not Nanako,” Ryoma said, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious. “Kagome.”

“Whoa!” Momoshiro exclaimed again, this time in surprise. He jumped back, knocking into an equally shocked Kikumaru. “You got _another_ cousin?”

Ryoma looked up at him and gave him a look. _Are you stupid?_ His raised eyebrows seemed to ask.

Unsure whether he should actually feel stupid or just simply annoyed, Momoshiro settled down with laughing nervously. “So, you don’t like your cousin or something? What’s wrong with her?”

Ryoma scowled even harder and hoped that scowling so much wouldn’t leave a permanent mark on his face. He already told them why he was in a bad mood; why did his teammates insist on poking into every single detail of his life? “I don’t have anything against her,” he answered after much debate with himself. “It’s just some of her friends.”

They didn’t get it. “Who are moving here too?” Kikumaru asked hesitantly.

“No,” Ryoma said. “They already live in the city.” At least they did when he was ten, they could have moved away for all he knew.

“Right,” Momoshiro said. Then: “I don’t get it.”

Ryoma sighed. Forget permanent scowl marks, he hope he doesn’t loose his voice from overusing it. “Kagome used to visit us whenever we were in Japan for vacation. I think I was ten the last time I saw her.” He frowned, recalling memories he rather leave alone. “She had a group of really close friends that used to visit her whenever she was here.”

“So...”

“If Kagome comes, they’ll start coming over again,” Ryoma answered. _Stupid,_ remained unspoken but Ryoma’s expression said it all.

“You could just ignore them,” Fuji answered helpfully.

“Yeah!” Kikumaru said. “Like you do with people you don’t like.”

“Or us,” Momoshiro offered, nodding his head in agreement.

Ryoma bit his tongue just as Fuji chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you could lump that in with “people Echizen doesn’t like.’” His grin grew when Echizen made no move to correct him. His grin only grew when Echizen made no move to correct him.

“Well,” Oishi said slowly, ignoring Fuji. “Think about it this way: It’s been so long, maybe your cousin lost contact with them. They couldn’t have been _that_ close.”

Ryoma looked up again and glared.

“Oh,” Oishi said softly. “They were that close, weren’t they?”

“Closer,” Ryoma replied. “Probably still are.”

“So,” Fuji asked, “why don’t you like them?”

“They’re weird,” Ryoma answered back automatically. He paused, gave his teammates a good long look and then added: “Hmm...”

 _Weirder than all of you,_ seemed to remain unspoken.

Fuji chuckled.

“And one of them...” Ryoma surpassed a shiver as he thought of cold, amber eyes and long silver hair. “Actually, he’s a bit like—” he cut himself off when his gaze met Tezuka’s and looked away. “Never mind. He was my sponsor so I guess seeing him again won’t make that much of a difference.”

“Sponsor?”

“When I was competing in America, he decided to sponsor me. But I haven’t seen him since.” Ryoma shrugged then, no longer wanting to continue the conversation. He reached up to pull down his cap for good emphasis.

Inui scribbled something in his notebook and looked up. “I am very interested to meet this cousin of yours, Echizen. And her friends, of course. It’s not everyday that—”

“No,” Ryoma interrupted, voice flat.

“Oh!” Kikumaru said, clapping his hands together, completely ignoring the younger boy. “That’s such a great idea! We can make her feel right at home!”

Ryoma stared at him, horrified.

“Kikumaru,” Tezuka said softly, speaking up for the first time.

“Yes!” Kikumaru responded at once and jumped up and around. “Tezuka agreed! Let’s do it!”

* * *

 

Tezuka most certainly did _not_ agree. And rather than meeting Echizen’s cousin, they could all be practicing instead; after all, they had their first official match coming up within the next week and a half. However, those who were going were members of the tennis club and therefore Tezuka’s responsibility. He wasn’t about to let Echizen embarrass himself in front of his cousin because Fuji couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Or because Kikumaru and Momoshiro couldn’t stop teasing their super rookie.

“I apologize for any inconvenience we may cause you,” Tezuka said politely as he bowed.

Kikumaru ignored the obvious glared directed at him and continued trying to keep Echizen in a headlock.

No wonder he was so short, Tezuka thought. He probably would have been too if he had someone hanging off him like that.

“Don’t be silly,” Echizen’s mother said brightly. Tezuka could tell she meant it. “Kagome-chan was so nervous coming back here and I’m sure she’ll feel welcome with so many people here just to greet her.

 _Like hell,_ Tezuka thought uncharacteristically. He looked back at his teammates and frowned.

Rinko turned towards her son. “Aren’t you excited Ryoma?”

“No.”

“Don’t be such a brat, kid,” Nanjirou said. “I remember when you were younger... you used to chase her around naked yelling, “Kaggy-chan, Kaggy-chan!’”

Tezuka had to hide a cough as Echizen’s scowl deepened. Everyone else began laughing, not bothering to spare the tennis prodigy his pride.

“That was a long time ago,” Echizen muttered.

The walk to the train station was relatively short but Tezuka had the distant feeling that the only reason they were walking was because there were so many people tagging along. He decided that he was going to make his teammates carry Higurashi-san’s luggage for all the trouble as punishment. Of course, he could always them run laps but...

“So,” Momoshiro asked in a low voice while they were all standing around, waiting for Ryoma’s cousin. “Is your cousin hot?”

Echizen gave him a flat stare. “The last time I’ve seen her was when she was _ten.”_

Momoshiro was not fazed. “Okay, okay. But was she cute then at least?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Oh!” Rinko suddenly called out. “She’s here!” She waved her hand wildly in the air and ran towards the onslaught of people getting off the train. “Kagome-chan!”

“Whoa,” Kikumaru said. “Your mom _really_ likes her, eh?”

“Not as much as my old man,” Ryoma added disgustingly. They watched as Nanjirou—famous Nanjirou—threw himself into the air towards a pretty, wavy-black haired teenager who was walking towards them.

“So,” Rinko said, pulling her husband off her niece. “How was your ride?”

“It was okay,” Kagome answered, laughing softly as they made their way back towards the group. “It was a little long though.”

“I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Yeah,” Kagome said softly. “I just needed to get away.” She looked almost sad for a moment before brightening up when she saw Ryoma. “Hey!” she squealed out happily. “Ryoma! I haven’t see or talked to you in forever!” She moved to hug him and Tezuka watched as Ryoma tensed up. Kagome pulled herself back before actually touching her cousin. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I forget myself sometimes.”

“Hmm...”

“The brat’s shy,” Nanjirou said, cutting between his son and niece. “Those,” he pointed around, “are his teammates. They heard you were coming so they wanted to come along too to pick you up.”

“Oh!” Kagome’s eyes were wide with shock, noticing them for the first time. “Thank you, I’m Kagome, by the way.”

With so many people around, not raising her hand to shake their was no surprise but it didn’t stop Fuji from grasping her hand and raising it towards his lips. “A pleasure to meet you,” he said with a warm smile, kissing her knuckles. He turned his head towards Ryoma slightly and gave him a small wink.

Ryoma scowled.

Kagome shuddered and wondered if she just met another version of Miroku. God knows that she had enough of _that_ in her lifetime. But... but it wasn’t as if she would mind if Miroku was still... no. Kagome frowned inwardly and scolded herself. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking of them anymore. She promised herself she wouldn’t. It was the entire reason why she had begged her mother to let her stay with the Echizens in the first place. _Stop living in the past, Kagome,_ she told herself. _It’s time to live in the present._

Noticing that she was just standing there, lost in thought, with her hand still in Miroku the second’s own hand, Kagome flushed. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said tightly, pulling her hand away. Or at least, attempted to, but he had a tight hold on it. “Um?”

“Fuji.” Tezuka’s voice was cutting. Here was damage control, stop Fuji from embarrassing Echizen.

“Oh, sorry,” Fuji said, not sorry at all. “I’m just shocked that Echizen has such a beautiful cousin.”

Kagome flinched visibly as Nanjirou hummed in agreement in the background.

“Fuji!”

“Yes, yes.” Fuji gave another bright smile, dropping Kagome’s hand and giving Ryoma another wink. “My apologies, it won’t happen again.”

 _Like hell it won’t,_ Ryoma thought.

Kagome frowned. She would have thought that the guy was attempting to make a fool of her, but she had noticed the silent exchange between her cousin and his friend. It was quite a surprise, actually. Even as a young boy, Ryoma had always been a no-nonsense kind of kid. Kagome was surprised that he even stuck around despite his annoyance.

“So, Higurashi-san, do you play tennis?” Momoshiro asked after all introductions have been made and they were making their way back to the Echizen House. Tezuka had, of course, made most of his fellow Regulars carry around her luggage despite her embarrassment and protests.

“Tennis?” Kagome asked, completely confused. “Why would I play tennis?” She took in the shocked expressions for a moment before it hit her. “Oh!” Kagome exclaimed. “Sorry, I keep forgetting.” She giggled nervously. “I’m not much of a sports person. I’m too clumsy for that, actually.”

“Aw,” Momoshiro said, dejected. He had been looking forward to two super rookies (even if Higurashi couldn’t play on their team). “That’s too bad. Will you be attending school with us though?”

“Seishun Academy High, right?”

“Yep! That’s the one!”

Kagome smiled. “I guess I am then!”

“You should come and watch us practice sometime!” Kikumaru said good-heartily.

Tezuka pressed his lips into a thin line. _Practice,_ he wanted to tell the redhead, along with everyone else who was nodding in agreement, _is not a show for random audiences. It should be taken seriously._ Of course, he was also tempted to send his teammates out running laps but he didn’t think that would be polite in front of the Echizens.

“...of course. It’s been so long since you’ve stayed with us but your room’s in the exact same spot,” Rinko continued.

“It’s totally fine if you want to continue sleeping with uncle too,” Nanjirou cut in cheekily.

Kagome flushed again but managed to keep herself from slapping her uncle silly. “I don’t think that’s appropriate, uncle.”

“Non—”

“Enough, old man!” Ryoma snapped, aiming a kick at the back of his father’s knees.

“Hey!” Nanjirou cried out as he stumbled forward. He managed to catch himself in time before he face-planted into the ground. He whipped his head around. “You ungrateful little shi—”

“Nanjirou!” Rinko said firmly. “That’s enough.”

Everyone fell into a tense silence but Tezuka noticed Echizen giving his father a satisfied smirk when Echizen-san wasn’t looking. _A brat through and through,_ Tezuka thought almost fondly. He didn’t really want to admit it but he rather missed Echizen’s bratty attitude the years he had been in America.

It took a couple minutes before they fell into another comfortable conversation, although it lacked the usual childish excitement one usually feels when being surrounded by the tennis Regulars of Seigaku High.

Everyone followed as Rinko opened the gates to the house. She looked back at Ryoma and his teammates with a smile on her face. “You guys should come in and stay for dinner. Kagome-chan deserves a welcome party.”

Kagome flushed. “Oh! You don’t need to—”

“Don’t be silly,” Rinko said. “Of course we do.”

Tezuka frowned. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt—”

“We would _love_ to stay, nya,” Kikumaru interrupted happily, utterly oblivious to the fact that his captain was currently tallying up the number of laps he would have to run later.

“You won’t be interrupting anything,” Rinko said to Tezuka as she pushed everyone into the house. “If I didn’t want you guys to eat with us, I wouldn’t have asked.” She looked at Momoshiro who was carrying most of Kagome’s luggage. “Feel free to put those over there,” she said, pointing to the open area, “and I’m going to start making dinner.”

“Need me to help? I’m pretty good at cooking,” Kagome said, silently adding, _I can make a mean cup of ramen,_ as Ryoma rolled his eyes and began making his way up to his room, completely ignoring that his teammates were at his house.

“No, it’s fine,” said Rinko. “Why don’t you invite your friends over too?”

Kagome paused. “Um, my friends?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, that’s right. The ones that you had always hung out with whenever you were here, remember?” Rinko frowned. “Don’t tell me you lost contact with them.” She shook her head in disappointment. “That’s too bad, you guys used to be so close.”

“Eh?” It was Kagome’s turn to frown; she couldn’t remember having any close friends when she lived here for a summer all those years ago. And Ryoma didn’t have the easiest personality to get along with so it wasn’t as if she could have hung out with any of his friends. Although... there was that.

“You really did lose contact with them?” Rinko asked. “That’s such a shame.”

“I—uh—well...” she paused. How would she say it without sounding completely crazy? “I... I never really had any friends here, Aunt Rinko...”

That made more than one person in the room pause. “Sure you did,” Nanjirou said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “I used to see you and the brats run yourselves silly here.”

Rinko gasped. “Oh!” she cried, alarming the young priestess. “Don’t tell me...”

“What?” Kagome asked, panicking. “Tell you want?”

There was silence for a few moments. Rinko and Nanjirou looked at each other nervously and the Regulars shifted around uncomfortably. This was obviously a family thing and no one wanted to interrupt.

Ryoma, who was standing on top of the stairs, surprisingly, was the first one to speak up. “When we called,” he said. “Grandfather said that you fell down the well, hit your head and got amnesia or something.”

Kagome felt her face go red in anger. “When was this?”

Ryoma shrugged.

“I guess that must be it then,” Kagome said, laughing nervously. Inwardly she wondered who in the world her _friends_ were because she certainly could not remember them and she most definitely did not have amnesia. _Had the whole world gone crazy?_ she wondered. _Or is it just me?_ The well had sealed itself only a couple of weeks ago but already, it felt like a dream. _Maybe it really was a dream. Maybe I did fall down the well and got amnesia. Maybe the federal era really was just a dream. Am_ I _the crazy one?_

She curled her right hand into a tight fist. Her priestess powers shot up to the surface of her skin and crackled with energy as it came in contact with the air. Kagome looked around, making sure that she wasn’t drawing anyone’s attention and sighed. _Definitely not a dream._ She couldn’t help but feel relieved but it only lasted a moment before she remembered. _Who in the world are my friends?_


	2. The Beginning of Everything

“Hey,” Kagome greeted quietly, not wanting to wake the rest of the family as she descended down from the stairs. “Why are you up so early?” She, she hadn’t been with Ryoma since they were seven but she _had_ always taken him to be the sleeping beauty type of guy.

Ryoma stared at Kagome without answering her question and was only a little annoyed when she stared straight back without flinching or feeling awkward and looking away. “Morning practice,” he finally answered and then shifted a bit uncomfortably when silence fell between them. He realized that he did seem a little too distant and silent to his cousin who had been nothing but nice to him. But truth to be told, Ryoma did feel just the slightest bit awkward around her—not that he would ever admit it, of course. Years of not seeing someone you used to take baths with can do that to a person. “Why are you up so early?”

Kagome laughed. “Oh, I’m usually awake at this time.” She thought back to when Inuyasha would kick her awake to hunt for his precious jewel shards. “I guess,” she said, her words slow and soft. “I just got used to it.”

Pausing in the middle of tying her shoelaces, Ryoma’s head snapped up to her and he stared as if she had grown two heads. Which, in his case, she might as well have been; who voluntarily wakes up this early anyway?

Kagome giggled and waved him off. “So, tennis practice, huh? May I come watch?”

He hesitated. “Sure.”

* * *

 

Tezuka was not pleased.

Kikumaru had, of course, invited Higurashi-san to watch their tennis practices so he wasn’t _completely_ surprised that she had come. However, he didn’t think it would be so soon or that Echizen might have also wanted his cousin to come and watch them. Wasn’t he always the one that complained about people cheering too loud during their tennis matches? And practices? And just life in general?

Higurashi wasn’t loud though— _thank goodness_ —unlike all their other squealing fans. Higurashi was the ideal tennis fan; sitting outside the fences and watching the practice matches silently, even if she did look a tad bit bored. Then again, Tezuka wondered for a brief moment if he would have preferred it if Higurashi was loud and obnoxious. _That_ was something he and his fellow tennis members were already used to.

But no, Higurashi was a distraction.

And he could see why—he _wasn’t_ asexual despite what Fuji says. With her large ocean-blue eyes, wavy black hair, and how she just fits _perfectly_ into her school uniform, Tezuka admitted that she was rather pretty. But pretty doesn’t become an excuse to stop doing drills for a chance to talk to her.

 _Apparently,_ Tezuka thought, _that second year think it is._

“Matsumoto,” he called out, his voice stern with disapproval. “Thirty laps!” A bit harsh, he knew, so he silently blamed it on Echizen who should have left his cousin at home.

Instead of immediately abandoning his attempts at flirtation and jumping up to run his laps, the second year turned and gaped. Despite being a second year, it was only Matsumoto’s first year in Seigaku High’s tennis team and he obviously never had Tezuka as a captain before. “B-but—”

“Forty!”

“Just run your laps, man,” someone hissed. “Trust me when I say he’ll make you run triple-digits if you keep arguing.”

Kagome almost snickered but caught sight of Tezuka’s glare, which, much to her surprise, was directed at her. She flushed under his intense glare and looked away.

Just as he was about to walk away, Tezuka heard the girl mumble, “Bastard.” He twitched in surprise. “Bet he thinks it’s all my fault. Reminds me of a certain dog.” A pause. “Or two.” And: “What stick got stuck up his ass?”

Unsure how he was supposed to respond to words he wasn’t supposed to hear—or at least, he hoped he wasn’t—Tezuka stiffly walked away and caught sight of Echizen smirking in his direction. Apparently, not only did the younger tennis player had eyes that could “see all” but ears that could “hear all” too. He stiffened up further but refrained from assigning laps especially since he had no legitimate reason.

 _That guy_ seriously _needs to learn how to loosen up,_ Kagome thought, oblivious to the uncomfortable atmosphere she had caused Tezuka. She watched lazily, chin in her hands with her elbows propped up on her knees as people continued hitting tennis balls back and forth with such intensity Kagome swore that there had to have been some supernatural strength behind it all. She shivered; I _’ve spent way too much time in the feudal era._

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome caught sight of a girl with her hair pulled up in a high ponytail and instantly turned towards her. She took in the girl’s athletic-built figure, eyes tracing familiar curves and sighed. _Everything is reminding me of the feudal era,_ Kagome thought. She sighed again and closed her eyes, her trained ears filtering through the background noise and she listened to the girl’s voice as she chatted happily with her friends. Kagome could almost imagine the flickering flames of a campfire. For a single moment, she was back in time.

_Stop._

Kagome gritted her teeth, hearing them grind together and snapped her eyes open again. She watched the Sango-like figure for a few more seconds before turning her attention back towards the tennis courts and her cousin. Judging from the awed voices from her fellow audience, Ryoma was hitting his apparently famous _Twist Serve_ and she wondered what was so special about it that it deserved its own name. Her question was answered a second later when the ball sailed upwards and smacked her cousin’s third year opponent in the face. _I always knew he was some sadist,_ Kagome thought with a small twitch.

She sighed—last time, she promised herself—and watched as Ryoma and a new opponent began hitting the green tennis ball back and forth a couple more times. _Good lord, this is boring,_ Kagome thought. Then again, she _had_ spent the past year of her life chasing demons across Japan... When a yawn threatened to erupt from her, Kagome decided that it would be a good idea to leave tennis practice watching to the people who were actually interested in the thing and familiarized herself with her new school.

She stood up and brushed the dirt from her uniform just as Momoshiro decided that Echizen had enough showing off on his own and that he needed to perform a special move of his. Unfortunately, he was too caught up in his upcoming attack to hold back his strength and sent the tennis ball flying straighter, faster, and more powerful than he should have. It flew faster than most people could react, straight through a hole in the fence and it took him milliseconds to realize that the ball was heading towards Echizen’s cousin. “Higurashi-san!” he called out in panic. “Wat—”

The moment Kagome felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she reacted. Her reaction was slower than she would have liked, however. If the _Jack Knife_ was a demon Kagome would have already been dead. But a year of chasing demons and dodging their attacks had made the _Jack Knife_ seem like child’s play to Kagome. Kagome turned her head towards the charging ball and jumped back at the last second. She would have been able to dodge it completely if she hadn’t clumsily landed on her foot wrong. Her entire balance was thrown off and she was sent falling towards the ground. Her heart pounded violently in her chest and Kagome reacted without thinking.

The tennis ball smacked into her barrier with a loud pop before recoiling and flying off in the opposite direction. It hit the fence hard and landed on the ground, smoking. _Holy shit,_ Kagome thought.

Silence.

Then everybody started talking at once.

“Higurashi!” Momoshiro called out, taking a short cut and climbed up and over the fence with practiced ease. He ran towards her, navigating through the crowd that had gathered around the girl. “Holy shit,” he exclaimed. “Are you all right?”

Kagome groaned. “I’m fine.”

“She just got hit by the _Jack Knife!”_ someone called out in shock, voice carrying above the murmurings of the gathering crowd.

“Oh my god,” a freshmen said. “Where were you hit?”

“I said I’m _fine,”_ Kagome snapped, trying to calm her racing heart. She clutched her hands into tight fists underneath her, trying to keep them out of view as she attempted to pull her wild priestess powers back into her.

 _What just happened?_ Kagome asked herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and replayed the scene in her head. The ball shouldn’t have reacted to her barrier that strongly unless—

 _Oh dear lord,_ Kagome thought. _That ball was filled with demonic energy!_

She swallowed hard and looked up at Momoshiro, wondering if he was hiding something. Once the the crackling energy of her powers died down, Kagome allowed her senses to expand outwards; she took in the familiar feelings of her powers interacting with her surroundings and then shuddered when it came in contact with the still-smoking tennis ball. Demonic energy washed through her like ice running through her veins but...

But...

She looked over at Momoshiro again and frowned.

_Nothing._

“Take her to the nurse’s office,” Tezuka said. Despite how quiet his voice was, it was still able through cut through the chatter of the surrounding students and shutting them up. He made his way towards Kagome and the crowd parted for him.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Kagome emphasized again as she scrambled to stand up. She yelped as a sharp pain shot through her ankle the moment she had put any weight on it. It took her by surprise and she fell down again.

Tezuka frowned. “You are hurt.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Kagome mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Tezuka’s frown deepened.

Kagome felt a twinge of shame, realizing just then how rude she was being to someone who was obviously concerned about her. “Sorry,” she said, looking up and into Tezuka’s chocolate brown orbs. They were unreadable, not even a flicker of emotion and it reminded her of cold amber eyes. She looked away and noticed for the first time that everyone—and she meant, _everyone_ —was staring at her. Kagome flushed, must she be the center of attention everywhere she went?

“Um,” she squeaked out. “I’ll just go to the nurse’s now...” She stood up slowly, not wanting to put too much weight on her wounded ankle and frowned when no one took the hint. “Don’t you guys have some tennis balls to hit or something?” she asked.

The crowd parted, slowly at first but sped up when Kagome began glaring.

“Buchou,” Ryoma interrupted softly. “I’m taking Kagome to the nurse’s.”

“Ah.”

Kagome looked up in surprise although she looked rather satisfied too. “Ryoma! It’s totally fine, you don’t—”

Ryoma pulled her arm and before she could get another word out, began dragging her towards the school building. He ignored the glare from his captain (for man-handling his injured cousin) and the looks from his fellow teammates (for showing possible concern towards said cousin).

“I do know where the nurse’s office is, you know,” Kagome said softly. “There’s the school map posted just outside the school. You really don’t need to escort me there.” She grinned cheekily, trying to show emotions she did not particularly feel at the moment. “Unless, of course, you’re worried about me or something?”

Ryoma didn’t respond to her obvious tease. He remained silent for a few moments, waiting until they were out of everyone’s hearing range. “What was that light?” he finally asked.

Kagome froze. “Light?” she repeated faintly. “What light?”

The young tennis prodigy turned around to face his cousin. He frowned but refused to explain himself, knowing very well that Kagome knew _exactly_ what he was talking about.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kagome replied stubbornly, picking up her pace as best she could only to stop once she noticed the flat look Ryoma was sending her way. Kagome sighed. “It was magic, okay?” she said, reaching out and giving Ryoma’s shoulder a fond pat. “Now go play tennis. I’m a big girl. I can walk to the nurse’s by myself just fine.”

Ryoma didn’t make a move. “You never got hit by the ball.”

Kagome froze again. Very slowly, she turned towards him and asked, “How did you know?”

Ryoma shrugged, and then began walking away from her and back towards the tennis courts. “The last person that got hit by the Jack Knife broke a few ribs.”

Kagome twitched. _Ribs_? She watched Ryoma’s retreating back for a few moments before turning around and making her way towards her own destination. That was definitely demonic energy, she thought. _But Momoshiro-san’s definitely human._ Kagome groaned. _That doesn’t make any sense!_

Upon reaching her destination, Kagome knocked at the office door and frowned when no one answered. Then again, school wouldn’t start for another half an hour or so. She huffed in annoyance as she opened the doors and made her way into the dark office. The lights flickered on as the sensors caught her movement.

“Well, Kagome,” she muttered to herself. “Time to bandage yourself up. Again.” She swallowed hard as she began pulling open cabinets and drawers, trying to find the correct items. _Everything is reminding me of the feudal era,_ she thought with a frown. And she had been trying so hard to forget too.

Humming softly underneath her breath, she placed the bandage rolls onto the table. “Let’s see, do I need—”

“Kagome-chan!” someone called out just as the doors to the nurse’s office flew open, startling her and making her jump. “Kagome-chan! Oh my god!” The girl ran towards Kagome before she could react, her long hair trailing behind her. “Kagome-chan!” the girl sobbed out as she pulled Kagome away from the table and into a tight embrace. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back?” she asked. “I had to hear it from _Ryoma_ of all people! And he said you got injured by some idiot or something. Oh, I was so worried!”

 _What?_ Kagome wondered and the unnamed girl continued mumbling about the recent cause of Kagome’s injuries. “Uh—I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” she said, slowly pushing the girl away from her as if not wanting to alarm her.

Kagome took in the girl’s worried expression and did a double-take. “S-Sango?”


	3. Answers and Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter is confusing… good, it's supposed to be. I think. Nah, I just don't have the talent to explain everything beautifully. I noticed, my grammar really, really sucks. Damn.

_"Kagome-chan?"_

_Kagome looked up from her textbook and smiled. “Sango. What’s up?”_

_Sango stared blankly at her for a few seconds before giving her head a slight shake. “Are you busy?” she asked instead, chuckling softly._

_If it had been Inuyasha, the answer would have been yes but she would always have time for Sango. Kagome shook her head and closed her book, stuffing it into her backpack before turning her complete attention towards Sango. She patted the log next to her._

_Sango sat down and leaned against Kagome until they were pressed shoulder to shoulder. While the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, there was definitely something on the older woman’s mind. Thankfully, Kagome knew Sango would speak when she was ready to and kept silent, offering her friend a different kind of support._

_“Do you ever think about it?” Sango finally asked, her voice so quiet that Kagome almost didn’t hear her._

_“Huh?”_

_“The end,” the demon slayer clarified, tilting her head up towards the night sky._

_Kagome felt her stomach twist at the reminder. Of course she had thought about it; she didn’t think anyone_ didn’t _think about it. Kagome reached into her shirt and pulled out the Jewel. All the shards have been found and they were currently just waiting around for Naraku to pull himself out of whatever hole he decided to hide in._

_The final confrontation._

_What a sobering thought._

_“Yes,” Kagome murmured softly._

_Sango swallowed audibly and then continued. “I’ve been thinking... and I—I decided that if I have to be the one to fight Kohaku in the end... then... then... I—I’m going to kill him.”_

_Kagome swore the world around them slowed upon her hearing those words. “What?” she gasped. “Sango!” “_

_I—I can’t—” Sango said, her voice breaking. “I can’t let Kohaku live with that memory.”_

_“Oh Sango,” Kagome breathed as she pulled the older woman into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so very sorry.” She wished there was something she could do; for someone who was meant to save the world, she couldn’t do anything for one of her closest friends. Kagome wondered if she would always be this useless._

_The two of them stayed like that for a while, long enough for the boys to finish their bath and return back to camp. However, one look at the girls had them backing up slowly and quietly. Even without a pointed glare from Kagome, they knew it wasn’t a good time to interrupt._

_“Kagome?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“What do you plan on doing when this is all over?”_

_Kagome swallowed hard. “Probably... I’ll probably go back home.”_

_It was Sango’s turn to freeze up now. She took in a shuddering breath, her mind taking the time to register the severity of Kagome’s words. “What do you mean?” she asked even though she already knew the answer as she pulled away from Kagome’s warm embrace._

_Kagome only smiled at her. “Spending time here,” she murmured. “Spending time with you guys, I realized how much of a temptation the Shikon really is.” She shook her head violently and swallowed the lump that was trying to work its way up her throat. “There’s no such thing as a completely pure wish, Sango; they all have some sort of selfishness in them.” “_

_Then...”_

_“When the jewel is whole again... I... I’m going to demand for its disappearance.” “But then... Then...” Kagome nodded. “The link between my time and yours will no longer exist.” She took in a deep breath, trying to prevent herself from crying. “I was born in the future, Sango; I belong in the future. I have a feeling that once the Shikon disappears, it will force me back to my own time.”_

* * *

 

Kagome knew that the girl couldn’t be Sango. Because the Sango she knew was human and lived almost five hundred years ago. The Sango she knew had eyes of a woman whose soul and mind were much too old for her body. The Sango she knew was beautiful and young and alive all those years ago and there was no way— _no way_ —she could be here. Now.

But there was something—everything—about the girl that made Kagome see the demon slayer again. Her hair was tied up in Sango’s trademark high ponytail. Her facial structure, the sharpness of her eyes, her figure, her _everything_ reminded Kagome of Sango.

If she and Kikyo could have been mistaken as siblings then this girl and Sango could have been mistaken as identical twins.

But—

_But—_

“Yes!” the girl responded tearfully much to Kagome’s further shock and confusion. “I know it’s been a couple weeks since the last time we talked but I thought I told you I was attending Seigaku! You should have called or something! I mean—” she froze suddenly, her eyes flying open and she stared at Kagome as if seeing her in a new light. “I—I—” She pulled away, stumbling backwards. “Oh dear gods.”

“S-San—” Kagome squeaked in surprise as the girl fell down, slumping onto the ground as if all her strength had left her body. She rushed over, ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle as she did so. “Are you okay?”

The girl remained silent for so long Kagome feared she may have fainted. But the girl was still staring blankly ahead, her eyes wide with shock. Finally, very, very slowly, she mumbled in a voice so quiet Kagome had to lean closer to hear, “Yes.” She trembled. “Yes, I am Sango.”

Looking up into Kagome’s deep blue eyes she repeated, “I am Sango.” Kagome paused, the sound of the blood rushing through her ears sounded unusually loud. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

The girl—Sango—shook her head and looked around with wide eyes, almost as if she was afraid of her surroundings. “Ooh,” she groaned with a grimace, bringing nimble fingers up to her temple. “Everything is coming back now.” She froze again, her eyes widening even further as she turned back to face Kagome and gasped. “Kagome! What did you do?”

Kagome gaped and then flushed. _“Me?_ What do you mean? I didn’t do anything! I belong here! You’re the one out of place.”

Sango shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m the one from the future, remember? This is _my_ time!”

Sango’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No,” she said slowly. “I don’t—I—I have a life here too.”

Silence filled the air and Kagome took the moment to sit down carefully, making sure not to upset her wounded ankle. “So,” she began slowly. “So you’re telling me that you’re alive here too?” She frowned. “Sort of... like a reincarnation?”

Sango looked down at her hands which were currently shaking with reasons unknown to her. “I’m not really sure,” she replied. “I just... I have a life here. I was born and raised here.”

“And the past?”

“I didn’t remember _that_ life until I saw you.”

Silence.

“I’m confused,” Kagome finally admitted.

“Start from the beginning?”

Kagome nodded.

“Like I said,” Sango began. “I have a life here and—oh! I—I _remember_ you!”

“What?”

“Ryoma! I just saw him and he told me that you were here.” Sango shook her head, as if trying to clear it. “Ooh! This is so confusing.”

“Tell me about it,” Kagome mumbled, having no idea what Sango was talking about.

“Forget demon-slaying Sango!” she cried. “I know you in this... This school-girl Sango life!”

Kagome swallowed again. “I’m afraid I don’t know you.”

Sango frowned. “But we used to play together with—oh my god!”

“What?” Kagome panicked. _“What?”_

“Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru!” A pause. Sango’s eyes shot up in surprise and she tilted her head in confusion. “Sesshomaru?” Her brows furrowed before she huffed and snapped her eyes open again. “Anyway, they’re all here!”

“In the _school?”_ Kagome squealed, gaping.

Sango shook her head. “No, just Miroku and when you left, we lost contact with Inuyasha.”

“When I left?”

“Yes! You used to visit Ryoma, remember?”

Kagome nodded, agreeing. “But I never met you guys.”

Sango fell silent. “So... I have memories of something that never actually happened?”

“Maybe it’s me,” Kagome said. “Maybe I don’t have memories of something that actually happened."

They paused, looking at each other in confusion.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Sango finally said.

“My life never made any sense,” Kagome replied, fighting the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. She glared at the ground in front of her. “I honestly don’t know why I thought it would start to now... stupid me. I should never have left the shrine.”

“Maybe... we should go find the monk or something?”

Suddenly, the true extent and reality of the situation hit Kagome. She was in the future. She was in the future and talking to _Sango._ She was in the future and talking to Sango about looking for _Miroku._ Her friends, her life, her _two_ worlds were colliding and while confusing—and perhaps even a bit terrifying (but the shock hadn’t completely set in quite yet)—it sort of felt like a dream come true.

 _“Now_ you’re starting to sound like the Sango I remember,” Kagome said with a small grin.

Sango glared. “What are you talking about? I _am_ Sango.” Already the memories of her _modern_ life seemed like a blur, making it feel like some sort of dream; she certainly felt like the demon-slaying Sango Kagome remembered. Even if she was lacking the hard muscles she remembered from her previous life.

Kagome gave her outfit a look over and raised her eyebrows. “A ōendan uniform. Really?”

Sango flushed. “It’s just that—tryouts were today—and—” She groaned. “It’s not like I’m on the squad yet! And now, thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll even be trying out any longer.”

“Good,” Kagome said, nodding. “It’s not really you. Perhaps something more butt-kicking? Karate, maybe?”

* * *

 

“I think you’re like a trigger or something,” Sango said as the two of them made their way down the hall. “Because I definitely _did not_ remember anything until I saw you.”

“I’m surprise you guys aren’t close,” Kagome muttered. Hadn’t Aunt Rinko told her how close they all were? Besides, she would have thought Miroku and Sango would stick together even if they didn’t remember anything of their adventures together in the past. “Anyway, we only have ten minutes until class starts. Will we find him in time?”

Sango rolled her eyes. “Won’t need to. He’s usually with the girls.”

Kagome laughed. “Some things never change.”

Sango frowned. “Right... but...”

“Did you two... get together after I left?” Kagome asked softly.

“We had _children,”_ Sango answered with a shudder.

Kagome blinked. “Children?”

“Twins.”

“Oh my god,” Kagome squealed, bumping Sango’s hip with her own. “Twins? _Sango!”_

“He has a girlfriend,” Sango said flatly, blushing over Kagome’s comment.

“Oh,” Kagome responded, deflated. “I’m sorry.”

Sango shook her head but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know how she felt about the entire situation so instead of talking about it, she pulled Kagome along through the student-filled halls and greeted a few people along the way. “Here we are,” she finally said as they walked into the large, open cafeteria and made their way towards a group of girls hanging out near a corner. “Oh... He’s not here.”

Kagome looked around, feeling her stomach with disappointment. “Seriously?”

“Hey,” Sango greeted. “Have you guys seen Miro—um... Ishikawa-san?” The group fell silent and looked around at each other for a few seconds, solidifying Kagome’s belief that despite how “close” she apparently had been with the modern versions Sango and Miroku, her two friends did not share the same bond in this time. Finally, one girl stepped forward and folded her arms underneath her rather large breasts and pushed them upwards. “Why are you looking for him?”

“Girlfriend?” Kagome asked, whispering.

“Nah,” Sango answered back. “Jealous bitch, she never liked me much after I beat her in a fighting tournament a couple years ago. His girlfriend’s the cute one with the short hair. To the right.” She cleared her throat and raised her voice to answer, “One of our old friends came back and I just thought they could get reacquainted.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think you actually had any friends, Sango-chan.”

Sango blinked. “Since I remember,” she muttered to Kagome. “Do you think I could sock her one?”

“Um, no. Absolutely not,” Kagome answered. “Although I must say, I really am liking this modern you.”

“Besides,” the girl continued, making Kagome wince. She wasn’t sure how prominent of a presence demon-slayer Sango had in this modern version of herself but she _really_ didn’t want to take any chances. The demon slayer used to wield a large, bone boomerang, for crying out loud. “It’s not like Miroku likes you or—”

“Excuse me,” a new voice cut in, effectively interrupting the conversation.

Everyone turned towards the owner of said voice and Kagome blinked in surprise. “Eh? Oh! Tezuka-san!” He only stared in response, expression so blank, Kagome really wasn’t sure what was going on through his head. “Er... captain?” she tried again then immediately winced. “Shit, this isn’t coming out right.”

“You know him?” Sango asked with a raised eyebrow.

As if knowing exactly what Sango was thinking, Kagome flushed. “It isn’t like that!” she protested. “He’s Ryoma’s cap—” she brightened up suddenly when her eyes landed on her cousin who was standing only few feet behind Tezuka. “Ryoma!” she greeted, waving at him in a dramatic manner that had him glaring.

“Mada mada dane,” Ryoma muttered, spinning around to walk away. For a moment, he almost thought Kagome was being bullied or something but seeing that she was perfectly fine (and reunited with a friend she had apparently completely forgotten about), Ryoma was ready to leave.

“Hey!” Kagome said suddenly, chasing after her slightly younger cousin, almost pushing Tezuka out of the way in her haste to catch up with him. “Ryoma! Wait!”

Ryoma paused, catching Kagome off guard and she crashed into him, sending them both to the ground. The girls gasped in surprise and Tezuka twitched at the impact. He only hoped that his freshmen ace remained uninjured in the fall.

“Shit,” Kagome groaned after a few seconds of tense silence. Her ankle throbbed in agreement. “That really hurts.”

“Get off of me,” Ryoma said, voice muffled by her chest. “Please.”

“Eep!” Kagome squeaked and jumped off, only to wince as she landed harshly on her ankle once again causing the oh-so familiar sharp pain despite the good bandaging job Sango had done. She blushed, wrapping her arms around her. “Sorry! I’m clumsy!”

Ryoma almost rolled his eyes in response but refrained. What an understatement, he thought. His father had tried teaching Kagome tennis before. But only once. Somehow, Kagome had tripped but somehow managed to hit the ball behind her and through the kitchen window. It had completely scared Karupin who had been napping on the kitchen counter at the time and sent the cat in a mewling frenzy, messing up whatever dinner Rinko had been preparing at the time. And if _that_ wasn’t bad enough, Kagome had accidentally flung the racket towards Nanjirou as she went down and gave him a black eye.

Instead of reminding her of all of that, Ryoma pulled himself up and dusted the dirt off. He looked down at Kagome, waiting for her to speak.

“You said that I had friends, right?” Kagome asked.

Ryoma frowned but nodded.

“I don’t remember.”

Ryoma gave her a flat look, eyes glancing in Sango’s direction.

Kagome waved it off. “We just got reunited.” She inhaled deeply. “Inuyasha... do you know what happened to him?”

“Inu—” Ryoma frowned again. “You lost contact with them?”

“That’s right,” Kagome agreed. “But... Do you know where I can contact him now?”

Ryoma shrugged. “No.”

She stared at him. _Annoying, lazy, little—_ “Ryoma!” she cried instead. “Please! This is important!”

“Like the pink light?”

“Pink light?” Sango repeated. She gasped. “Kagome!”

“Not my fault,” she immediately shot back, feeling defensive. “I almost got hit by the... the... Jack... Jack’s hit.”

 _“Jack Knife,”_ Ryoma corrected.

“Right, _Jack Knife.”_

“A knife?” Sango said slowly, her eyes wide.

“Apparently, it’s a name for a tennis move,” Kagome answered. “Like _Wind Scar_ and _Fox Fire.”_

Sango nodded. “Right... but a _tennis_ move?”

“Hey,” Kagome said. “I’m not exactly a tennis player. This is outside my profession.” Sango gave her a look and Kagome had to bite back a grin. She turned back around to face Ryoma again. “Inuyasha! Contact info. Please?”

Ryoma wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I said I don’t know! He was your friend, not mine.”

“Ryoma,” Kagome warned. “I know you know _something._ Don’t treat me like an idiot.”

He blinked slowly, as if he was still sleepy. “I know how to get in contact with his brother,” he finally admitted.

 _“Sesshomaru?”_ Kagome asked with a gasp of horror.

Ryoma’s lips quirked up. “You two were close.”

Kagome frowned and then turned towards Sango. “How close?”

Sango almost giggled but managed to swallow it down. She shrugged. “I don’t actually know. Inuyasha, Miroku, you, and me were friends but... Sesshomaru only talked to you and Inuyasha. He didn’t like the rest of us very much.”

“That—That’s not even parallel to the past,” Kagome stuttered. She turned her attention back towards Ryoma. “Why do you have his contact information anyway?”

“He funded me for an American competition a couple years ago and has been my sponsor ever since,” Ryoma said, shrugging.

“I—you— _what?”_

Ryoma rolled his eyes and gave her an “are you stupid?” stare—usually reserved for his teammates). “He’s a businessman.”

_Idiot._


End file.
